Do you write effective calls-to-action?

The call to action (CTA) is the makes it or breaks it element of your content marketing strategy. Its effectiveness will establish the visitor’s level of engagement with your company/organization.

The simplest way to look at A Call to Action is to think of what you want your readers to do after they have finished reading your content, whether it’s buying a product or service, downloading something or requesting information.

CTAs are essential for content marketing, but many organizations don’t know exactly how to find the best way. Let’s take a look at e few things we can do to make optimize our efforts:

1. Provide value and relevance

The more value and relevance your call-to-action conveys, the more likely your visitors will be to take action. Your readers must quickly understand the benefit of completing the action you’re asking them to. You can start writing CTA copy asking yourself why should your prospect click the button and what is he going to get out of this. So keep your copy relevant and focused on the benefit of clicking. Also, the copy you use in your call-to-action must do more than inform, it has to clarify the next step.

2. Be clear

Use straight-forward and simple language on your call to action buttons. Your visitors must know right away what they’ll get when the click on a button. If the whole process makes them to pause and question, you already lost them.

In order to persuade your visitors to take action, you must use verbs and action phrases when you’re writing your CTA. But remember: keep it short and simple.

3. Create Urgency

Encourage your prospects to act immediately, without misleading them in any way. You can provide incentives like discounts, entry into a competition, a free gift or other benefits that could motivate them.

4. Give your visitors extra-information

Where appropriate, provide extra information about what your prospects are going to achieve if they click on the button. Extra information on call to action buttons is usually used for download ortrial buttons.

5. Create a dedicated landing page

Follow-up each call-to-action with its own landing page, to avoid confusing your audience. The landing page should be nothing but a more detailed continuation of your call-to-action. Think of the CTA as the headline that grabs reader’s attention and prompts them to read the body copy, which is on your landing page.

6. Carefully choose your CTA button’s location

Your call-to-action needs to be above the fold so viewers don’t have to scroll down in order to spot it.

Don’t limit your call to action only to the homepage, use it on every page of your website to avoid situations where visitors leave without responding to your call.

An effective call to action doesn’t only involves powerful copy writing, but also usability and visual design. Therefore, you should constantly test and optimize in order to find the best way to drive conversions to your website.

Do you have any particular strategy you use when writing calls-to action? Share your experiments with us!